Apple iPhone XS and XS Max break cover; price starts at Rs 99,900

“The iPhone XS Max is the largest iPhone from the brand’s stables yet”

Last year, Apple celebrated its 10th-year anniversary with the launch of the iPhone X (review), which inspired the smartphone industry to follow the trend of notch-bearing displays. Today, at the Cupertino tech giant’s “Gather Round” event, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook took the stage to unveil iPhone X’s successor in the form of the iPhone XS. Interestingly, the brand also introduced its bigger sibling in the form of the iPhone XS Max, which is the biggest iPhone till date. Unsurprisingly, the phonemaker is hailing its latest devices as “the most advanced iPhones we have ever created”.

Starting with the differences between the duo, the Apple iPhone XS gets a 5.8-inch OLED display with 2,436 x 1,125 pixels resolution, while the iPhone XS Max sports a bigger 6.5-inch OLED screen bearing a resolution of 2,688 x 1,242 pixels. The True Tone displays on both iPhones promise 60 percent better dynamic range while viewing HDR photos as compared to the iPhone X. The new-gen iPhones also offer 120Hz touch-sensing displays. The displays also support Dolby Vision and HDR10 standards.

In terms of the design, the iPhone XS duo boasts an edge-to-edge all-screen front with a cut-out at the top, which is home to the front shooter and sensors. Apple is also highlighting the durability aspect of the new iPhones, as they come with surgical-grade stainless steel and “the most durable glass ever”. Just like the iPhone X, the latest iPhones also offer dust and water resistance, but get better protection with the IP68 certification. The iPhone Xs siblings also ditch the TouchID fingerprint scanner in favour of the ‘Face ID’. The sophisticated facial recognition system is capable of unlocking your handset even in the dark. Along with Space Grey and Silver finish, the new iPhones will also be available in all-new Gold hue.

In terms of the hardware, both the Apple iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are powered by Apple’s latest A12 processor. The brand’s newest mobile SoC is based on the 7nm fabrication process, and comes with a hexa-core CPU and a quad-core GPU along with a Neural Engine. The new CPU promises 15 percent faster performance and 50 percent more efficient, while the GPU is said to be 50 percent better. The A12 SoC also comes integrated with an image signal processor, a Secure Enclave, video encoder, among other things.

In terms of imaging, the Apple iPhone XS and XS Max boast a vertically-aligned dual camera setup at the rear. Similar to the iPhone X, the successors sport two optically-optimised 12-megapixel snappers on the back. The primary wide-angle sensor is bigger this time around and offers an aperture of f/1.8, while the secondary telephoto sensor has an aperture of f/2.4. The new iPhones also come with better True Tone flash for illuminating low-light conditions. Just like their predecessor, the latest iPhones also flaunt Stage Light feature for the portrait mode, but can let the user change the aperture during post-processing from f/1.4 to f/16. For selfies, the duo sport a 7MP f/2.2 TrueDepth camera. The cameras also make use of the all-new A12 Bionic chip for features like Smart HDR. The iPhones are capable of recording stereo sound by making use of four microphones.

The rumours turned out to be true as finally, Apple has offered dual-SIM support with its new iPhones. The company is cleverly utilising eSIM technology for the secondary SIM. Both SIMs will come with Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS). What’s interesting, however, is the fact that the handset maker is launching China-exclusive iPhone Xs and Xs Max that come with two physical SIM card slots.

While Apple didn’t disclose the battery capacity on the new smartphones, it has claimed that the iPhone XS offers up to 30 minutes more battery than the iPhone X. The larger iPhone XS Max on the other hand, is said to last an hour and a half more.

The Apple iPhone XS and XS Max will go up for pre-orders in select markets starting September 14th. In India, the new iPhones will be available to buy from September 28th. Both the iPhones are available in three storage options of 64GB, 256GB and 512GB. The iPhone XS’ 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB models cost Rs 99,900, Rs 1,14,900, and Rs 1,34,900 respectively. As for the iPhone XS Max, its base 64GB variant has been priced at Rs 1,09,900, while its 256GB and 512GB versions are being offered for Rs 1,24,900 and Rs 1,44,900 respectively.

Akshay aka Techakko has been working with 91mobiles since 2012. Passionate about gadgets, he has a special interest in smartphones and games. The constant stream of news stories he writes is testament to his prowess as a human web crawler. A graduate in Computer Science, he dabbles as a game developer and competes in various gaming tournaments in his spare time. When he wants to take a break from the screen, he enjoys long rides on his Yamaha FZ-S.